The Gladstone Arms, Borough, SE1

There was a bit of a Cornish theme on the ale front, with pumps clipped for Sharp’s Doom Bar, and St Austell Tribute and Trelawny, but the Trelawny was declared to be off unfortunately, leaving Tribute as the beer of choice for me. All the tables had a “Pieminister menu” on them, with various pies at £5.95 (the same ones I buy in Tesco I suppose), plus £1.50 for mash and £1.25 for mushy peas. Personally I reckon that £8.70 is a bit over the top for a bought in pie with mash and peas, but if you’re hungry enough I suppose it’s worth it, and as shop bought pies go the Pieminister range is better than most. The outside of the pub looks OK in the main, but judging by the large name at the back on the left it is apparently called “ The Glad”, coupled with a large caricature of a sinister looking fellow appearing more like Jack The Ripper than the distinguished politician after whom this pub is named. I know that Gladstone did engage in some nocturnal activities, but portraying him as JTR is a bit over the top. But not to worry, the interior of the pub has a certain charm. It’s a small one-room pub, which wouldn’t take many customers for it to be crowded. There were a couple of sofas with a low table, but otherwise there were just normal tables and chairs. There were no TVs, fruit machines or others of that ilk. The music being played was some classic soul – Solomon Burke, Wilson Pickett et al. Other than a few coloured lights on the ceiling, the only lighting is provided by candles on the tables. At 4.0 PM it’s now getting too dark to see what I’m writing in my notebook, and my pen’s now run out. This must be a sign. I actually quite liked this pub, which I didn’t think I would when I went in as it seemed overly gloomy, and in fact I wasn’t even sure that it was open. It has a nice friendly laid back feel to it (might be different if it was crowded though) and I’d be happy to pay a return visit.

Slightly left wing and a whiff of something illegal in the air. Sat and did the Telegraph crossword in here one lunchtime unmolested.

'Boho' is just the right word for this place. The outside of the pub is pretty interesting what with the two big paintings of Gladstone glaring down at you, so it certainly stands out a bit amongst the hundreds of other pubs nearby. The interior is surprisingly small with the aforementioned boho touches. Mrs Quinno's cup of tea was served in a trendy 'right-on' mug with some sort of left-leaning sentiment (I forget what) so don't take any Sun/Daily Hate Mail readers in here. So I was quite looking forward to my beer - there were two on (Black Sheep and Adnams, I think) but both were of questionable quality. Shame. I want to like this place so I will try it again but have to admit I left disappointed by the beer experience. It isn't THAT hard to keep a decent beer if you actually understand what it is you're selling, especially given the high standards set elsewhere in the area.

Tribute and Doom Bar were available from the aging rocker barman during my visit and there was also a limited standard and premium draught selection. It is not the biggest place, but there was a good crowd in attendance with more old rocker types propping up the bar. This is a music pub that hosts live music nights and several music magazines can be found lying on the tables and the gents toilet is wallpapered with old song sheets. Food is served and the chalk menu board is hung over a plasma screen that I'd imagine sees little action. There was some background music playing which I thought was good, but it is more in line with the tastes of fifty year olds. I would recommend this place to others as it is very relaxed and there was no rush to evict anybody after last orders.